The city built this pathway on Knaus Road in 2022. (Submitted by city of Lake Oswego)

The Lake Oswego City Council endorsed the idea of working with the Lake Oswego School District to fund a pathway next to the new River Grove Elementary School — among other pathway funding prioritizations for the upcoming 2025-27 biennium — during a meeting Tuesday, May 6.

Other favored projects were on Bryant Road between Lakeview Boulevard and Upper Drive, Goodall Road between Hazel Road and Country Club Road, and McEwan Road between Kristi Way and 65th Avenue. The council prioritized those over improvements on Fernwood Drive, O’Brien Street and Atwater Road for funding within the 2025-27 biennium.

Parents brought up the need for a pedestrian connection to the River Grove school site during the land use process for developing the new school, and the school district subsequently completed much of the design for McEwan Road, which would include 1,500 feet of sidewalk.

“While the LOSD has paid for preliminary design work, they do not have sufficient funds for building the facility, and are asking the City to partner on the construction of this work,” the city staff report said. The project was estimated to cost $1 million and the school district would pay for a portion of that cost.

“I think it would be a great improvement. It’s one I have heard about quite a bit and hopefully we can get there,” said Anthony Vandenberg, the district’s executive director of project management, at the meeting.

One complication with this project, however, is that most nearby property is located within unincorporated Clackamas County.

“We would have to have some involvement from the county because parts of the road haven’t been annexed,” Public Works Director Erica Rooney said.

Mayor Joe Buck said that he initially was hesitant about this project because of its proximity to unincorporated land, but felt that the collaboration with the school district and the goal of serving kids who attend a Lake Oswego school make it worthwhile.

Councilor Ali Afghan agreed.

“We have an opportunity to make sure kids are safe. Especially if we have a partner in the Lake Oswego School District who is willing to contribute … means we have a partnership to do great things in Lake Oswego,” Afghan said.

The other two projects the City Council favored included 850 feet of sidewalk along Bryant Road (costing $2.5 million) and 600 feet of asphalt pathway on three segments of Goodall Road (costing $1.1 million).

Councilor John Wendland felt that the Bryant Road project was important due to the elevated traffic volume in the area.

These projects are poised for inclusion within the city’s capital improvement plan budget.

The city’s Transportation Advisory Board actually recommended the O’Brien Street and Atwater Road projects, which would have cost $650,000 combined, but did not consider the McEwan Road project because it wasn’t included within the city’s Transportation System Plan. City staff, however, asked the City Council to consider alternatives to the board’s recommendations because O’Brien’s right-of-way is fully improved and there are limited traffic volumes, while Atwater is within Clackamas County’s jurisdiction.

The Fernwood Drive project would provide a connection to Lakeridge High School and include two sidewalk segments that would cost $3.65 million total.

The projects the council did not choose to prioritize may be considered for future funding.